Adam Chabot

My name is Adam Chabot and I’m originally from. Gorham, New Hampshire but I currently reside in Kents Hill, Maine where I am the English Department Chair at Kents Hill School, a private, independent high school where I teach 11th and 12th graders in a variety of English and writing classes. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, playing ice hockey, and writing.

Question 1: What inspired you to start writing?

At around five or six years old, I remember having such an interest in books and writing. My preschool teacher--I wish I could remember her name--would help me staple sheets of construction paper together onto which I would draw pictures and write out words to these imaginative tales about distant worlds and fantastical characters. Then, when I got a little bit older, I started collecting R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series and as I read each book, I begin writing my own versions of Stine's stories in a series I called "Creeps". I still have that notebook and it reminds me of the childhood joy I had while reading and writing.

Question 2: How have your past experiences influenced you as a writer?

I think writing about my past experiences has been somewhat cathartic but also a wonderful chance to discover things and learn more about what I've experienced over the years. Putting oneself through honest reflection, whether in writing or in some other capacity, has enormous benefit and I think I've leaned into that as a writer.

Question 3: What have you written that you're the most proud of?

The first memoir essay I had published was in 433 Mag titled "Daily Rounds" and it remains the piece of which I'm most proud. It discusses how I tried to process raising a young child on a boarding school campus in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had obviously and completely changed the landscape of the school community. It's a deeply personal piece, too.

Question 4: What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?

Great question! The term doesn't connect with me in a sense that I currently teach Creative Writing to high school students, and many of them often grumble about not knowing what to write about. To me, the term writer's block is often rooted shame in that writers feel like them and their stories are either too weird or too boring to be understood. If you write about what you know, if you write honestly, and if you give yourself the freedom to write about whatever comes to mind, I don't think you'll ever have writer's block. Also, I think this term relates to the ways in which procrastination works. Where you write and when doesn't matter so much to me in that I've done the majority of my writing in a plethora of spaces; a designated office-space, which I had furnished from the spare bedroom in my apartment when I was remote teaching during the pandemic, didn't make me write any more or any less. If we all waited for the perfect time and place to write, we'd never get anything done. In fact, as I type this, I'm on a bus headed to Newton, Massachusetts with the Kents Hill School Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team, for which I am the assistant coach, and I feel totally comfortable completing this written interview within this setting.

Question 5: When did you first call yourself a writer?

When I was working on my B.F.A. in Creative Writing is when I first adopted the label. However, I didn't take that label seriously until I had a few things published.

Question 6: What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

I think character is the heart of every narrative so I always start there, even when writing poetry. I have found that planning out a storyline ahead of time actually stifles my writing process because it takes the discovery out of learning something about the characters. Honestly, I admire those who can sort out their plots ahead of time; it seems that could save me a lot of time in my own writing.

Question 7: If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

Probably Stephen King. I've lived in Maine for most of my adult life, so the settings of many of his stories connect with me. I also use excerpts of King's book "On Writing" in my teaching, so I think I'd like to pick his brain a bit.

Question 8: What is your kryptonite as a writer?

I love to tinker with my words and make adjustments but I sometimes lose interest in revision which leads me to writing something new. I probably have 40-50 unfinished stories, essays, poems that will likely stay that way, at least, until I can find time to force myself to revise.

Question 9: Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?

I can't do it. I like white noise or ambient noise but no music. I find it distracting.

Question 10: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

I've got two:

1.) "Write literally. Read literally. Pay attention." I believe this comes from Janet Burroway and although it sounds so simple, I think each maxim is so important. Good storytelling and good writing is about clarity and if you can approach each story, poem, essay as both a reader and as a writer with those ideas at the forefront, I think they allow you to be better in both capacities. For example, my creative writing students often lament about the difficulties of reading and writing poetry, but ultimately, reading and writing poetry is about clarity and about making literal meld with the imaginative in a way that allows the reader to experience something genuine. Ultimately, it's about reading the words literally and as they appear in front of you on the page.

2.) "You can't be the hero of your own story." I love this advice when writing memoir. No one likes stories about characters who do nothing wrong, or don't have any flaws, or get everything they want. It's not a reflection of real life because there's no conflict. Characters have to be human and humans make mistakes; characters are often more relatable in their flaws than their successes.